Two Religious Experiences in Europe

When I lived in London in the 90s I'd stop off in Soho most nights on the way home for a Latte at the Canadian Muffin Company. It was opposite the Raymond Reveue Bar, next to the dirty movie theatre and featured stunning views of an Con the Fruiter selling pineapples from a barrow. It was weak insipid coffee - but the best to be found and the white choc and raspberry muffins and happy ambiance made up for the disappointment. Imagine my disappointment when I returned to London on a marketing trip for school, only to find my beloved CMC was now a shoe store. Con the fruiter had been replaced by a Levis second stall and Costa Coffee and Cafe Nero had sprung up everywhere. In other words it was still very hard to get a really good coffee in London.

A couple of return trips later and I'm on the fast train between Gothenburg and Stockholm. It tilts. I am listening to Bic on my ipod singing Sway. It does. I am drinking the coffee the lady keeps bringing. So does it. I hope she doesn't notice that I am squirreling away a couple of extra little milk thingees each time she refills my cup. Tomorrow I will be stuck in a Lufthansa 747 for quite a few hours. It will include a morning. It will not include anything that can legitimately be added to coffee if you actually want to drink the stuff. Lets face it - the starting point isn't great and adding the flour and water mixture they give you finishes any resemblance to anything vaguely pleasant. I am not really ashamed of the stealing. The nice man beside me just smiles wryly and keeps working on his identical Mac. He won't tell. I've got my clear plastic bag at the ready. So it is out with the hand sanitizer, moisteriser, eye revival creme. (I'll replenish those from the business class toilets in revenge) In with the milk for your cofee - which they don't. Then after I have unpacked the laptop, cellphone, Euros, Kroner, Watch, Belt... I can lay bear my petty little theft. To be examined. X-rayed. Turned from side to side. Questioned. I'll do quite a lot for good coffee. I'll even do this much for bad coffee.

Coffee finds of this trip - the return of coffee as a religous experience: "Sacred" (Carneby St) and Flat White just around the corner in Soho, London. Excellent "Flat Whites" - just the way we love em!